Audacity will work with the vast majority of sound cards, however some sound cards are known to have issues, while others are known to work flawlessly. Given that many Audacity users will at some point want to replace/upgrade their sound card, and the huge range of products available, it will be useful to have a list of sound cards that Audacity users actually use.

Post a review of your sound card.

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Please include in your review the pros and cons of your sound card - please mention the type of inputs and outputs that it has (line-level/microphone/phono) and any special features. Also mention any features that do not work with Audacity.

Alesis iO|2USB 2-channel audio interface with 24 bit 48 kHz max recording capability that really works nicely both on windows and in Linux without any big troubles or glitches so far. Powered by USB connection.Manufacturer's website:http://www.alesis.com/io2Ins and outs:Inputs: 2 x MIC XLR (with optional +48 V), 2 x Guitar/Line, S/PDIF IN, MIDI INOutputs: MAIN L/R 1/4", Phones 1/4" stereo/mono, S/PDIF OUT, MIDI OUTPros:Robust case, controls and switches feels pretty reliable. Very easy and straightforward to use and Audacity has no problems handling it. It's possible to mix the monitor feed anywhere between direct and USB sound. It works with Linux!Cons:The meter LEDs are not that finely graded so it's a bit difficult to set the levels exactly. At very high gain levels it of course gets a bit noisy. There's a tendency to introduce DC offset with the recordings.

ART USB Dual Pre Project SeriesDual-mic preamp which can be used as external usb soundcard too.Ins and outs:Inputs: 2x XLR / 1/4-inch TRS Combi jack balanced/unbalancedOutputs: 2x 1/4-inch TRS; 1x 1/8-inch TRS headphonePros:- no drivers needed, works out-of-the-box in Linux (Debian, running kernel 2.6.32), Windows (XP Pro) and MacOS-X (Snow Leopard)- can be powered from usb, external power supply or 9V battery (or a combination of all these)- rather small size compared to what it has to offer- headphones monitor output can be used to play sound from the computer through USB.- very low noise for the price tag- can provide phantom power to the micsCons:Some people complain about the size of the 9V battery pocket, I haven't tried it so can't complain about it...)

Behringer UCA 202No frills 16 bit stereo line level USB sound card. Manufacturer's website:http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/UCA202.aspxIns and outs:2x line level inputs, 2x line level outputs (RCA connectors), 1x headphone outputPros:Works well with Audacity. Inexpensive upgrade for PC laptop computer.Cons:Plastic case. Label peels off eventually. No ability to adjust input level on Windows or Mac with the plug ' n' play driver it comes with (not tested with Behringer's optional drivers for Windows). On Ubuntu 10.10 the input level can be changed using the system slider, but this does not change the "gain" in the UCA itself, just scale the signal it sends. So whatever the operating system, always check the level of the input being sent to UCA 202.

Behringer UFO-202Basically a UCA-202 with the input switchable between line and phono, plus a phono ground lug.Manufacturer's website:http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/UFO202.aspxIns and outs:switchable stereo RCA line/phono inputsphono ground lugstereo RCA line outputsstereo mini-jack headphone output with volume controlComputer connection:USB 1.116 bit32, 44.1 and 48 kHzProsInitial listening tests comparing transcribed LPs to their CD versions suggest that the phono pre-amp is accurate.No apparent power supply noise although the unit uses the power supplied by the USB port.ConsSelf-noise is higher than a stand-alone analog phono pre-amp, but still below typical vinyl surface noise.No input volume control (on Mac, possibly on other platforms too), but volume is low enough on the phono inputs that clipping is unlikely to occur - in Audacity (again, on Mac) level is typically -10 dB. Input level on line input not tested.

Update 3Feb12: Roland UK confirms that the UA-1G is in its turn now superseded by the Rolad Duo Capture also known as the Roland UA-11. They tell me that the UA-11 has broadly the same functionality as the older UA-1EX but with some increased functionality - the S/PDIF digital input appears to have been dropped from this updated model..

If anybody has experience of using the UA-11 with Audacity we would love to hear feedback from you.

User bartjy reports that he cannot get the UA-1G to work in Advanced mode on Windows-7. The device records fine in Standard mode. See: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=52918

StarTech ICUSBAUDIOThis USB to Stereo Audio Adapter Converter lets you add headsets and microphones to your computer without the need to unplug other devices.Manufacturer's website:http://www.startech.com/Cards-Adapters/ ... ICUSBAUDIOIns and outs:Inputs: 1 x 3.5mm mini-jack MIC socketOutputs: 1 x 3.5mm mini-jack headphone socketComputer connection:USB (USB 1.0 and 2.0 compliant)Pros:Works well on all three major platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux).It will supply 5v computer battery to a "computer microphone" to run it. If your microphone has its own battery the plug just works around the 5v battery.If your built-in sound card isn't up to the job or you have a Mac, this will adapt your simple, single, microphone for recording.Compact and easily portableRelatively cheapCons:The most serious problem is the creation of a DC offset in the sound; most of them do it, but not all. You may find that there is a downward going DC level at about -38 dB or so. However, post capture you can easily get rid of it with the Normalize effect.The microphone system is slightly noisy.It works with the 5v USB battery, so if you have a noisy or unstable computer, this battery system will be noisy and make your sound noisy too. It could be argued that this system was made for noise reduction. A slightly noisy performance can be made very nearly perfect.The headphone volume is all you can achieve with a 5V battery -- which will not make your ears bleed.

________________________________________________________Note to Moderators: Please leave this pro forma in place.

Edirol UA-1EXExternal USB soundcard (which is also ASIO compatible - but this will not work with Audacity) interface capable of 24-bit/96kHz operation (the sampling rate is switchable 32/44.1/48/96 kHz - the bitrate is also switchable betwwen 24-bit and 16-bit). In addition to RCA and S/PDIF inputs it also has an electret condenser microphone input similar to the "MIC-IN" on most internal soundcards and a headphone output with volume control to quickly and easily listen to audio from your computer. The device is self-powered from the USB connection.I use mine configured to 44.1kHz 16-bit, for LP/tape/minidisc transcription and for recording FM broadcasts off-air and occasional spoken-voice mic work - the device has performed well in all these applications - Waxcylinder

Also where (as here) the USB device has a driver download, I think we need advice on whether to install those drivers. From reports I have seen, installing the special drivers on Behringer USB products causes Audacity not to recognise the device by default, because the device defaults to ASIO drivers. Does this Edirol device work using the generic USB Audio Class drivers built into the OS?

Gale Andrews wrote: Does this Edirol device work using the generic USB Audio Class drivers built into the OS?

Yes, I use it with the standard drivers that came with XP on both my PCS (one is XP-HE and t'other is XP-PRO).

My understanding is that you only need the Edirol drivers if you want to drive the soundcard at its highest speed and then require ASIO support (which of course you would need to build into Audacity yourself - As it cannot be distributed with Audacity for licensing reasons).

ION appear to have launched a standalone external USB soundcard - the U RECORD - with an inbuilt pre-amp (suitable therefore for use with turntables, cassette decks or FM radio input). See http://www.ionaudio.com/urecord

I have no experience of this device itself - but I am assuming that it is basically the electronic "guts" of the ION USB turntables. I ran one of these successfully for a while until I found the lightweight platter gave me too much wow&flutter - but I was always impressed with the quality of the electronics.

The device (like all their TTs) comes packaged with Audacity - so I'm assuming that they have tested it with Audacity ...

It's switchable between phono and line level inputs - has a grounding post to ground the TT - and has a gain (volume) control.

It would be interesting to hear a review from any Audacity user out there who is also using this product.

waxcylinder wrote:I have no experience of this device itself - but I am assuming that it is basically the electronic "guts" of the ION USB turntables.

Let's hope that it proves to be more reliable than the turntables. OK, I know that many users have no problems at all with ION turntables, but there have been an awful lot of people complaining of poor USB connectivity of ION turntables.

I know a number of audio and production types that are using an H2 or H4 daily. Nobody is putting an H4 in a dusty box in the garage. Several of them have achieved Successful Equipment Status. That is, there's no paint on them, you can't read the knobs any more, and they're always out in the field doing capture jobs.

Good one Koz - I regularly use the Zoom H2, which as well as being an excellent standalone pocket recorder can also be used (with Audacity) as a USB microphone (also works in stereo!)I'll write a review as soon as I have a few minutes to spare.

I have six line-level perfect, clear mono feeds and I want to get all six into Audacity at the same time. No mixing. All three platforms.

How?

Koz

I do that the easy way - I record on an 8 channel Yamaha hard disk recorder, then import the WAV files into Audacity.

Yes it would be nice to get some feedback from users of multi-channel sound cards (preferably ones that work). Somewhere on the forum is some information about the M-AUDIO DELTA 1010LT saying that it works, providing you use old drivers for it.